Farewell “Doc”
After nearly fifty years of broadcasting, legendary NHL broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick announced his retirement Monday, Oct. 19.
Emrick spent 47 seasons as a broadcaster in professional hockey. He made his NHL debut in 1982 when he became the play-by-play announcer for the New Jersey Devils. He would eventually call games for the Flyers and national broadcasts on ESPN and ABC in the 90s. He became known for his lead play-by-play role for NBC sports in 2005.
Emrick stated in a radio interview with Dan Bernstein of 670 The Score that he knew the time had come to retire after the semi finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, when the remainder of the tournament moved solely to the Edmonton bubble. He released an emotional video on social media thanking hockey fans for their support and all the memories he has made with them throughout his journey as an NHL broadcaster.
For years, fans from every NHL team have had the privilege to listen to Emrick call games and historic moments in hockey history. When listening to a game on NBC, it was almost natural that viewers would hear Emrick’s voice. Emrick added a certain flow to the game that kept fans paying close attention and made it feel like he was sitting in your living room. His intense tone in the final minutes of a playoff game had fans at the edge of their seats holding their breath.
Emrick has his name forever included in the most exciting moments in hockey history. He has called over 3,700 games in his broadcasting career including Olympic hockey games. With over five Olympics, 22 Stanley Cup finals, and 40-plus Game 7s, Emrick has witnessed it all.
Throughout his career, Doc Emrick has become one of the most decorated sports broadcasters in North American Sports. He has won over thirteen different awards for broadcasting. He has won eight sports Emmys, seven of which he won consecutively over the last six years. He is the only hockey broadcaster to win a sports Emmy. Emrick has also been inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
Some of his most famous calls came from the biggest games in NHL history. In 2008, Emrick called the first ever Winter Classic, in Buffalo, New York on New Year's Day. His famous call of Sidney Crosby’s shootout winner still ranks as one of his most famous calls in recent memory. In 2009, Emrick was behind the mic when Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils broke the all time wins record for a goaltender. His call of Sidney Crosby scoring the gold medal winning goal for Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics have been synonymous with emotional hockey goals in recent memory. In 2014, he called the second most memorable sequence in US hockey history next to the “Miracle on Ice.” TJ Oshie scored four goals in a shootout to beat the Russians in their home country at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Blackhawks fans have had the opportunity to enjoy Doc Emrick over the last decade during their coveted playoff streak. Marián Hossa’s overtime goal in game five of the Western Conference quarter final against the Nashville Predators. Patrick Kane’s Stanley Cup-clinching goal in 2010 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Brent Seabrook’s Game 7 overtime goal to eliminate the Detroit Red Wings in 2013. 17 seconds. These are just a handful of some of the best moments in Blackhawks history that have been called by Emrick.
When it comes to famous slogans and phrases, Emrick was full of them. Any time a puck would ring off the post, Emrick would yell “hit the post with the shot!” One of Emrick’s most unique hockey terms was “waffle-board.” When a goaltender would use their blocker to turn away a shot, the holes and design of the blocker back in the day resembled the similar look of a waffle. Thus, Doc Emrick would announce the phrase “waffle-boarded away.”
Although hockey is the notable claim to fame for Emrick, he also tried his talent in the NFL and MLB. In the early 90s, Emrick called a handful of NFL games for CBS and in 2016, he got to broadcast a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs alongside another legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas.
Emrick has carried his work into the world of eSports. In 2015, Emrick was named the voice for play-by-play in EA Sports’ NHL 15 video game as part of the switch to “next-gen” consoles. Emrick partnered with color commentators Eddie Olczyk and Ray Ferraro. He would hold this position until the 2020 edition of the NHL video game where he was replaced by Vancouver-based broadcaster James Cybulski.
While Doc Emrick will no longer be in the booth calling games on TV, his new book “Off Mike: How a Kid from Basketball-Crazy Indiana became America’s NHL Voice” released on Oct. 20.
It is uncertain who will replace Emrick as the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports. One of the candidates to replace Emrick is broadcaster Kenny Albert, who has been with NBC the second-longest next to Emrick. The NHL and NBC will discuss over the next few months who will fill the shoes of one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time.
